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A note on the the “rent money” category: This is what we’d likely spend our cash on if we didn’t have to pay to keep roofs over our heads. Or if we had a family fortune to squander. Or if we had one of those McDonald’s play pits that, instead of party balls, was filled with dollar bills. File these items under “want.” But stick around—you’ll find a workable solution at the end of this clothing lust. (Twist!)

Spring is tapping on the door right now. Pretty soon she’ll be knocking, and eventually she’ll be kicking it in. In preparation, I’ve accumulated some of my favorite items for this upcoming spring, most of which are way out of my price range. For right now, we’ll call them sartorially aesthetic pieces of inspiration.

See what I mean about out of my price range? Let’s do some quick math. Those five items? Pushing $900. Last I checked, I didn’t have that kind of wampum to drop on one set of clothes. But here’s how I hacked the system:

You don’t have to toss 9 Benjamins out the window to get this look. Take the shorts, for instance. Front cargo pockets are gaining popularity, and for good reason—they’re functional (cargo is such an ugly word though). Anywho, if you’ve got an old pair of pants that goes without wear these days, find a friend who knows how to sew (and preferably enjoys doing so). Have him or her cut and hem your pants into shorts, using the extra fabric to make front button pockets on the thighs, like the WWM shorts above – this obviously requires a few buttons. This allows you to control the length of your inseam and where the shorts will hit on your leg. Then, pass them 10 to 20 bucks for their hard work, and you’ve got a pair of dope shorts for spring.

Just an idea, but repurposing old stuff you’ve fallen out of love with will save you cash and give you something new at the same time. We currently have a pair under construction – photos to follow upon their completion.

Editor’s note: Here at the Midwestyle, we’re fans of practical transportation and staying fit. Bikes accomplish both. This is a post by Cameron N.—student, model(?), thinker, no-longer-part-of-this-blog, and apparently, hipster. Cam, over to you:

The perks of living on East Campus are many. I’m just a five minute jaunt from class. I can be in the heart of downtown in 10 or 15 by foot. That convenience sounds great, I know, but most mornings, I wake up for my nine o’clock classes at about 8:44, throw on a pot of coffee, practice the bare minimum levels of personal hygiene, put said coffee in my thermos, and finally jam out the door at about 8:56. And unless I’m trying to do that painfully awkward walk-run-skip thing I usually do when I’m in a hurry, I hop on my bike. Living in a small-ish town like Columbia allows my bike to be my main mode of transportation.And I like that.Because I like my bike.Yeah, I’m aware it is a fixed gear.Shut up.

I’ve been in the market for some ’60s throwback sunglasses, like these RayBan Clubmasters. So, I was pumped when I found these tortoise keyhole sunglasses at Seek Vintage yesterday. Though not the exact look I was seeking (see what I did there, eh, eh?), they were 10 bucks. Hard to beat. I mean, sure, I’d love to have these Persol retro sunnies, but I’d rather save $300. (File under: #sacrifices and #rentmoney.)

What we care about is achieving a classic look regardless of name/brand. And when we can do that for 3 percent of the price, well, our work here is done.

Check your local thrift store, or pick some old knock-off Wayfarers up for $6. Sure, they’re cheap. But $160 sunglasses break just the same when you step on them.

Jeff’s closing in on the end of his first full week at his new big-boy Chicago job. (Remember when he was here looking for a job a few weeks ago? Well, he got one. And now he’s crashing on my couch until his super cool new place is ready in the Logan Square slums. It’s a difficult life we lead…watching the “Chicago Code” [which is hands down the best television show ever made], socializing every night, heists, shenanigans, and stepping over broken glass to get Niko’d every weekend.)

Not Jeff would ever be unstylish, but part of the new job is dressing well, so he’s been trying out some new looks. I’ll kick it over to him.

Jeff: Don’t be afraid to mix patterns and prints, as long as it’s in the same color story. I mixed this obnoxious printed stars shirts that I picked up at Halls during their winter sale and a dandy flower bowtie from Etsy.

Does this clash?Probably.Is that a “woman’s” clutch?It’s a worn leather dossier/clutch/folio/wallet. Did I pick up this gold watch at Target thinking it was a “man’s” watch?Yes.Did I find out the next day that three of my female friends already had it because it’s a “boyfriend” watch?Yes.

Do I wear it anyway?

Yes.

If we’re being honest here, fit, design and function trump whatever’s on the label—even if it’s two letters like “wo” in front of “man.” That’s why we each have a coat or two in our hall closets that button up from the left side. Looks the same, works the same and in some cases fits better.